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Lions Get Huge Aidan Hutchinson Injury News Right After Packers Win

The Detroit Lions finally got some good injury news with the latest update on Aidan Hutchinson.

By Jason Schandl

Sep 22, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) and defensive end Josh Paschal (93) celebrate after stopping the Arizona Cardinals on 4th and 1 in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) and defensive end Josh Paschal (93) celebrate after stopping the Arizona Cardinals on 4th and 1 in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
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Detroit Lions fans have many years of experience feeling like nothing can go right for their franchise. And most years the array of injuries this defense has sustained would bring on that exact same feeling. But Dan Campbell's squad improving to 12-1 is simply all the more impressive for being in the face of such horrible injury luck.

And now, on the heels of a major Thursday Night Football win over the Green Bay Packers, Lions fans have been treated to some very good injury news for the first time in the while. And the news coming on superstar Aidan Hutchinson makes it even sweeter.

Lions Rumors: Aidan Hutchinson Could Return From Injury in Time for Super Bowl

Despite expectations that he was obviously done for the season, Albert Breer reported on Thursday that "the expectation is that if [the Lions] make it to the Super Bowl, Hutchinson will be in uniform." That's a game-changer.

Breer reports that Hutchinson is in the Lion building rehabbing every day, and is already walking without crutches after fracturing his fibula and tibia in Week 6. And it's noteworthy that Breer reports the expectation is that Hutchinson "will" be in uniform for a Super Bowl, not that he "could" or "might" be.

Hutchinson's impact on the Lions' D is hard to overrate. After making his first Pro Bowl with 11.5 sacks in 2023, he opened 2024 with 7.5 sacks in four and a half games. He is Detroit's highest graded defender on PFF, at 94.9, and his presence benefits the entire pass-rush unit. The PFF graded the Lions out at 79.0 or better in pass rushing in three of their first five games this season, but their best mark since losing Hutchinson is just 70.6.

And of course, the Lions have a very good chance of staying alive long enough to get Hutchinson back. FanDuel Sportsbook has them as +270 favorites to win the Super Bowl, while no team is better than +500. They are also an eye-popping +130 to win the NFC Championship, giving an implied probability of 43.5% that they're playing for the Lombardi Trophy in February.

Considering their three most likely Super Bowl opponents would be the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, who all have mobile quarterbacks and offensive lines that rank top-10 in PFF's pass blocking grade, Hutchinson playing in even a limited capacity could completely transform the outlook of a Super Bowl game.

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